We didn't start the fire.

With the events on Patriot's day in Virginia fresh in our minds, it seems to be an appropriate time to address the disturbing habit of humanity for conflict. Having just recently seen Billy Joel perform his hit song "We didn't start the fire" live (last night, actually), this idea is further entrenched in my mind at present.

I can think of no other animal that has this propensity for conflict. We cause mass extinctions, habitat destruction, and mass-murder of nonhuman animals, and we do the same to other humans, as well. The Darfur conflict, the Holocaust, and the Crusades are but some examples, not to mention school shootings like this latest Virginia Tech incident, or that infamous day in 2001, September 11.

What is it about humanity that makes this senseless tendency towards extreme violence so common? Is it biology? I doubt it. We differ only by a chromosome or two from many other nonhuman species, but it is not nearly so common to find murder in the animal kingdom aside from humans.
Granted, nonhuman animals fight occasionally. For breeding rights, and for territory, but even Grizzly bears rarely kill eachother, even in combat. The weaker opponent will back off, not being prevented, by pride, from admitting defeat.

My guess is that it's our culture. The dog-eat-dog competitive spirit that infuses American society, for instance, is no doubt responsible for many social conflicts, including the prevailing distaste for homeless and poor people by the bulk of American society.